Chapter 81
The rain grew heavier and heavier, lasting all afternoon before gradually subsiding in the evening.
Before the last class in the afternoon ended, Zhong Mei came in to announce that evening self-study was canceled, gave a few more instructions, and then urged the students to go home.
"Holy crap, I didn't dare say a word all afternoon."
"Me too, I still have goosebumps, it's so scary."
"How could someone jump off a building? I heard they were in the top ten of their grade..."
"The college entrance exam is just around the corner, it's a real shame..."
"No matter what, health is the most important thing. Sigh, his parents must be suffering terribly right now..."
A few students in the front row, carrying their schoolbags, chatted quietly as they walked past Jian Sheng.
She took a breath and clenched her trembling hands.
"How could this happen... ouch... Zhou Xiang... why does that name sound familiar?" Xu Xiaxia walked over, arm in arm with Lin You. She pulled over Xu Xiao's empty seat and sat down, still somewhat shaken. Her voice was breathless as she said, "Holy crap, that was terrifying! I just came back from getting water when I felt a dark shadow fall beside me. I looked up and heard someone say someone jumped off a building. I was so scared I couldn't even walk. I didn't dare look at the railing..."
"The pressure is too much." Lin You put down her schoolbag and sat down in front of Jian Sheng. "And she's a student in the top class."
“The pressure is even greater in the top classes.” Qi Jing lay on the table, burying her head in her arms.
"How heartbroken these parents must be..." Xu Xiaxia sighed.
He Shang had just finished packing his schoolbag when he heard her sigh. He glanced to the side and noticed that the seat behind him was empty.
He turned around and said to the group, "The teacher said not to spread this around."
“It’s already happened, so people will inevitably talk about it, sigh…” Xu Xiaxia said in silence, “It’s just a pity.”
"The floor isn't high, hopefully they can be saved," Jian Sheng added, leaning back in his chair.
"I hope they can be saved! I hope they can be saved!!!" Xu Xiaxia clasped her hands together and echoed, "You all should pray too, quickly, quickly."
She urged him on, then turned and gave He Shang a push, "You say it too, hurry up!"
"Okay, okay, I hope he can be saved, he absolutely must be saved!!!" he said.
Xu Xiaxia frowned: "I hope to hear good news from him tomorrow..."
"Holy crap!" She suddenly sat up straight, turned around abruptly, and "suddenly thought of something, and felt a chill run down my spine."
She glanced at Zhao Chengyang's empty seat and shuddered: "No wonder the name Zhou Xiang sounded so familiar. Does he often come to see Zhao Chengyang... and Xu Yanghe too?"
Xu Yanghe, who was called out, raised his head from his arms, his eyes red: "Yes, the three of us live in the same community, in the same building, very close to each other."
""silence.
"I'm so damn annoying. I used to find their two families so arguing." He sniffed and rubbed his hair. "Their parents are practically identical, their personalities and tempers are exactly the same. They're always yelling at each other, and the whole neighborhood can hear it. Around that time, my grades were fluctuating, and my parents got involved and started talking about me too. I just couldn't stand them..."
"I snapped once. I was so angry that I yelled at them. Their parents apologized to me, but we kept arguing the next day. Then Zhou Xiang started bringing me things and tutoring me in English. Zhao Chengyang, although he's fierce, would occasionally buy me breakfast or something. And the two of them even worked together during winter and summer vacations. Damn, I can't take it anymore."
"They haven't asked their families for any money except for tuition fees..."
"Back then, I even disliked Zhou Xiang for his indecisive personality. I said, 'Zhao Chengyang goes against his parents, so why do you always agree with whatever they say and try to coax them?' He didn't say anything, so I said that he would be easily bullied in the future... Damn it, why did I say that to him? I'm the one who deserves to die."
After he finished speaking, tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.
Jian Sheng blinked a few times, holding back her tears, and pulled a few tissues from the table, handing them to him.
Xu Yanghe mumbled a thank you, "So annoying, I hope he can be saved..."
"He has to come back to life. To put it bluntly, I want to see him wake up and see his parents heartbroken, running around trying to make up for him, looking full of regret."
"Spare the rod and spoil the child; they are wrong."
"But I also feel uncomfortable because they never reflect on themselves."
He had been crying for quite a while, and several of them had red eyes. Perhaps it was because the weather had been hot for several days, but today's rain brought a slight chill to the classroom.
Jian Sheng crossed his arms and felt waves of nausea.
It was as if she saw countless students reflected in this stranger, and these reflections gradually formed a long slideshow in her pupils.
In the slideshow, she saw Jian Zihua squatting in front of her with scissors, his face contorted in a ferocious expression.
The cancellation of evening self-study sessions did not bring joy to anyone's face; instead, it brought fear and numbness.
Jian Sheng, carrying his packed backpack, walked among the group towards the stairwell.
The school's heavy bells rang, replacing the tranquility of the campus.
More and more students came out of each class, and soon the corridor was full of people.
A small commotion suddenly arose at the stairwell.
"Holy crap?"
"Holy crap, Jian Sheng."
"Holy crap, why is he back?"
The voice in her ear and the reminder on her arm made her look up.
Jian Sheng's pupils contracted slightly, and the people around him automatically moved to the side.
Many people stopped in the corridor, and whispers arose.
She watched as Chen Zhoujing rushed over from the end of the corridor. Among the orange and white, his black outfit stood out. Soon, her gaze was drawn to his broad chest.
“Chen…Chen Zhoujing?” Her heart raced, and she slowly raised her hands from her sides to gently hug his waist.
"Holy crap, what's going on?"
"Oh my god...didn't they say he likes men?"
"What's this? Are they together?"
"Holy crap, how did he suddenly appear?! Aaaaaah, oh my god, oh my god!!!"
"Did you hear something, so you came back...?"
Someone shouted something, and in an instant, the entire corridor erupted in cheers, silencing the silence of the entire campus.
Jian Sheng's ears turned bright red. She placed her hands on his chest and whispered, "Um..."
Chen Zhoujing also realized what was happening, grabbed her shoulder, and pulled her away from him. He turned her shoulder, looked around, and then breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, the buzzing in his ears subsided, and the clear cheering gradually rose up. Feeling that it was inappropriate, he softly apologized.
She quickly lowered her hand and curled up beside her legs.
He coughed and said, "Um... I... I came back to get something and to write up that disciplinary action revocation form. I heard you guys get out of school early..."
"I'm here to pick you up."
"This Chen Zhoujing is something else." Xu Xiaxia, who had been watching the whole thing, nudged He Shang's arm and whispered.
He Shang glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, suppressing a smile on his lips: "He's already fallen in love."
"Both of them are awkward people, neither of them will say anything. I'll just wait until the college entrance exam is over and see if he'll say anything then."
Xu Xiaxia smiled and asked casually, "Oh, so do you feel awkward in this situation?"
He Shang froze, the smile on his lips vanished, he frowned, and remained silent.
Xu Xiaxia waited for a long time, but nothing came. She rolled her eyes at him and said, "Idiot."
He Shang glared at him: "Why are you cursing at me?"
"You're an idiot!"
“”
He Shang had nothing to say, so he simply remained silent. He stepped forward and put his arm around Chen Zhoujing's shoulder: "Why did you suddenly come back without even sending a message?"
Chen Zhou raised his eyebrows and said in a relaxed tone, "I missed you all."
He walked over to Jian Sheng, habitually pulled the small white backpack off her back, and slung it over his shoulder: "Let's go?"
People watched for a while, then chatted and dispersed.
“Let’s get together, it’s not easy to do so,” He Shang asked.
Chen Zhoujing nodded and said, "Let's call Zhao Chengyang along."
After saying that, he lowered his eyes and said to Jian Sheng, "You've gotten thinner again. Long time no see. So much has happened..."
He Shang looked away, pursed his lips, took out his phone from his pocket, and sent a message to Zhao Chengyang.
When I got back in the evening, Jian Sheng went upstairs to put down a schoolbag and then went downstairs again.
The elevator doors opened, and she hurried toward the corner.
Chen Zhoujing was leaning against the gray wall, smiling at her.
Jian Sheng hurriedly ran over and pushed open the glass door.
She brushed her long bangs aside a few times, and once she was done, she raised her beautiful eyes and said earnestly, "Long time no see."
"Didn't I just say, 'Dumb'?" Chen Zhoujing couldn't help but tap her forehead lightly.
Jian Sheng glared at him: "You're talking about me again."
"Where did I say anything about you?" He stood up straight, walked backwards around her once, and smiled.
Jian Sheng ignored him and walked down the steps.
"Okay, okay, I won't say anything more, alright?" Chen Zhoujing followed up, peering down at her lowered head.
Jian Sheng said in a low voice, "Oh."
Chen Zhou couldn't help but laugh.
He straightened up, put his hands in his pockets, and slowly walked with her along the long street lit by streetlights.
He stepped over the shadows on the ground, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly said, "Please accept my condolences, Jian Sheng."
Jian Sheng paused, and after a long while, said, "It's all in the past now."
"Did you come back this time because of the suicide attempt?" she vaguely guessed.
The next second, Chen Zhoujing confirmed his guess, and he said, "Yes."
"I've said a lot of positive things to you before... some motivational platitudes I rambled on about, a lot of which were actually nonsense. I wasn't trying to give you any grand advice or tell you what you should do..."
"Because I see many shining qualities in you, I want you to feel that you are not someone who is incompetent and can't do anything well."
"Including your application to Huaiyin University, I saw your potential, plus your hard work."
"It's not that you have to go to this school, or that you have to put in a lot of effort for this school, nor does it mean that you have to study hard for me."
"I have always believed that no matter what school you go to or what path you take, you can continue to shine wherever you are."
"I'm not qualified to say what I hope for. I just want you to be healthy, both mentally and physically."
He quietly glanced up at her lowered head, watching her hair enveloped in light under the pale streetlights.
He continued, "Living is the most important thing. We all need to take good care of ourselves, okay, Jian Sheng?"
Jian Sheng didn't say anything, but felt a sore and swollen feeling in his chest.
Chen Zhoujing didn't say anything more. The two walked around half of the neighborhood before Jian Sheng finally responded.
She asked, "Will you come back after the college entrance exam?"
"Will you apply to Huaiyin University? We agreed on that before."
"Did you come back to say goodbye?"
As she asked those three questions, her voice choked with sobs, a bitter taste seemingly melting in her mouth.
Chen Zhou frowned, his eyes filled with gloom.
His pupils held a complex expression.
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